Children and adolescents -- particularly those with severe emotional disabilities -- have more need for role models than they do critics. Nowhere is that belief more evident than in the programs of Family Advocacy Services (FAS). Built on a foundation of unconditional loving care, FAS promotes normalization by giving children the opportunity to live and learn in the least restrictive environment possible. A private, for-profit mental health agency, FAS is deeply committed to enhancing the lives of troubled children and their families. To this end, FAS operates a number of community-based diagnostic, educational, clinical and therapeutic programs. These include: • Transitional Group Home Care • Treatment Foster Care • Specialized Treatment and Education • Independent Living • Home-Based Treatment • Intensity-V Therapeutic Day Schools • Career Services Training Program FAS began operations in 1986 under the clinical and administrative leadership of Bruce E. Bertell, LCSW-C. Since that time, FAS has become well-known throughout Maryland, Washington, DC and Virginia, both for its professional expertise as well as for its staunch advocacy on behalf of severely emotional handicapped youths and their families.